Vincent(45)

For fifteen years I made documentaries from The Hague, with productions for VPRO, IDFA selections and international co-productions. When an American streaming service approached me for a docuseries about climate change on the west coast, I saw my chance. The O-1B visa for artists with extraordinary ability was the right route. My IDFA awards, international festival selections and publications in Variety and Screen Daily served as evidence.

Choosing Cannon Beach was unorthodox. Most filmmakers settle in LA or New York. But the Oregon coast offers exactly what I need: dramatic landscapes for my documentaries, quiet for writing and a lower cost of living than major cities. My rent for a cottage with ocean view is $1,800 per month. In LA a comparable space would cost $4,000. Oregon has no sales tax and state income tax (up to 9.9%) is high but manageable.

Working as a filmmaker in the US requires a strong network. My agent in LA handles the business side: contracts, negotiations and distribution. I fly to LA monthly for meetings and pitch sessions. The rest of the time I work from my cottage on scripts and editing. The broadband internet in Cannon Beach is surprisingly good -- essential for uploading large video files to the cloud.

The film industry in the US is a different world. Budgets are many times larger than in the Netherlands, but competition is also fiercer. In the Netherlands as a documentary maker you know everyone; here there are thousands doing the same thing. The advantage of my Dutch background: European documentaries are seen in the US as serious and artistic. My accent is associated with quality, not a handicap.

Financially, freelance life is challenging. Good years I earn $120,000 from commissions; lean years $40,000. As an O-1B visa holder I can only work in my field -- I can't take a side job as a barista. Health insurance ($390/month via the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace) and quarterly estimated taxes (federal + state, total ~35%) are my biggest fixed costs. I miss the security of the Dutch Film Fund and the Netherlands' subsidy culture.

After three years I've delivered two docuseries for streaming platforms and I'm working on a feature-length documentary about the indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon coast has become my home -- the storms in winter, the tide pools in spring, the whales in summer. My advice to Dutch filmmakers: the US offers unmatched budgets and distribution, but you must be willing to constantly network, accept financial uncertainty and live far from the Randstad. The O-1B visa is achievable with a strong portfolio -- document every award, every selection, every publication.